The spirit of service to humanity is the greatest motivation for a Damodar Ganesh Bapat. First look at the 83 year old frail figure, wrapped in dhoti and a half-sleeved vest with partial paralysis in right leg and a damaged eye, Damodarji hardly fits into the image of a tireless crusader against leprosy. It is however an astonishing dedication which has seen Damodarji spend nearly half a century in treatment and service of leprosy patients at Bhartiya Kushta Nivarak Sangh (BKNS) in Janjgir-Champa district of Chhatisgarh.

Leprosy: A disease beyond body...

Leprosy, is a much dreaded disease in India, also known as kushtha rog or maharog in Hindi. Leprosy not just leads to physical deformity but also erodes a person's confidence and social standing. Leprosy has been considered a curse for ages and those affected are normally subject to disdain, looked down upon and even treated as untouchables. Thus, the disease not only degenerates the body but also has a tremendous impact on the mind. Instead of receiving care, patients get shunned routinely.

Thankfully, there is are people who believe in selfless service and have dedicated their lives to the treatment and service of the destitute. When it comes to leprosy, Damodar Ganesh Bapat is at the forefront in this service having spent over 45 years in treatment and service of leprosy patients. Bringing respect, dignity and purpose back into lives of affected persons is a very noble cause indeed.

The Start:
Damodarji was born in Amravati district of Maharashtra in 1935 and completed his graduation from Nagpur. He was the youngest of three sons of a railway employee. After his father's death, Damodarji earned his living by doing menial jobs and even ran a small enterprise. Since early years, Damodarji was inspired with the ideals of Smami Vivekanand and had an undying urge to so something for society. The restlessness inside him led him to joining Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram in 1971.

In his initial days of social service, Damodarji worked as a teacher in backward tribal areas. Doing so, he got the first hand understanding of the pains and problems of the rural, tribal population. In 1974, he got inspired by work of Dr. Sadashiv Katre in field of leprosy through through Bharatiya Kushtha Nivarak Sangh (BKNS) in Champa. It was here that he witnessed the plight of the patients and the social challenges faced by them. Damodarji found his calling and decided to fight leprosy and the stigmas it came with. He joined the organisation soon and in 1975, he was appointed as the secretary of BKNS. Ever since then, Damodarji been as at the helm of affairs, single-handedly responsible for the growth of the organisation and the service it provided to patients.

The Challenges:
Leprosy was clearly a disease which affected not only a person but an entire family and society. There were many misconceptions about leprosy in the society and those suffering were treated as untouchables. Living, working with and caring with such patients meant that even Damodarji was not spared. He was faced with constant ridicule and was also ostracised. One can image the kind of problems faced by Damodarji who sometimes was not even allowed to enter transport buses and people even avoided talking to him for the fear of their family being suspected as having a leprosy patient.

Damodarji persevered and tried to break the misconceptions surrounding leprosy in society. He demonstrated this in action in a small village of Katrenagar where he was living with patients, eating food cooked by them and sharing the habitat including water resources with the patients. Damodarji was determined not only to treat and serve patients but to also change the society's mindset. Along with societal challenges, Damodarji also faced a lot of financial difficulties to support his activities.

The Service At BKNS:
Today, Damodarji's team has about 17 full time volunteers working at BKNS. The ashram grew took shape over many decades and is currently spread across 73 acres. At present, there are around 160 leprosy patients living in the ashram which boasts of a school, hostel, computer and sewing training centers, a 20-bedded dispensary and various skill-oriented tasks to engage the patients. Patients here are encouraged to work and be productive for society and one can find traditional products like mats, blackboard chalks, coirs, ropes, manures, etc. made by the patients here. The ashram is self reliant for food with rice, vegetables and fruit trees, etc. are grown in the ashram itself.

Even though there are claims of new leprosy cases being eradicated, there are still many who suffer and come to the ashram in hope of treatment. Admission to the ashram is only on medical confirmation. The number of women patients is twice that of men. The rehabilitation of persons affected by leprosy is done on two levels. First, is by providing them with shelter and making them self-reliant since, even today, most of them are abandoned by their immediate family members and forced to beg for survival. In cases of leprosy patients having children, even children are given accommodation and their health and education too is taken care of. A `Sushil Balak Grah' looks after 150 such healthy children, students of Class 1 to 12 along with two crèches for about 65 children. Second is where psychologically rehabilitation takes place. The ashram has an effective multi-drug therapy sponsored by health department to cure leprosy. Patients' compliance to treatment schedule is monitored.

Till date it is estimated that the ashram has served about 26,000 patients. During the treatment, which may even take many years depending on the condition of the leprosy, the patients live here freely and productively in the self reliant ashram, away from society's discrimination. The find new hope, respect, dignity and purpose to life living here. Youngsters, though few in numbers, mostly go home or to some job after being treated. However, the elderly patients fear going back to society and families who rejected them. The ashram's "Vriddhashram" (old age home) is the final home for such persons, who continue to live under the care of the ashram.

The most important continuous work of Damodarji is spreading awareness and removing misconceptions in the society about the disease. With years of sustained awareness, he has been able to improve the scenario a little but still there is a long way to go...

Conclusion:
BKNS and Damodarji has received several awards in past, the lasted being the Padma Shree in 2018. However, in words of Damodarji, "My real happiness lies in serving the mankind since I firmly believe that humanity is the only caste and religion one has. It doesn't matter how many awards you have won as long as you persist with your goodness and don't forsake your values.". With his service and his dedication, Damodarji has and is changing lives of hundreds of people who have been neglected by society. He is a stellar example in selflessness, living true to the ideals of Swami Vivekananda even today.